The present invention relates to a gimbal assembly for precise positioning of a device on an axis and, in particular, for precisely adjusting the device's position.
Many apparati require the precise positioning of one element with respect to another, and this is particularly true with respect to optical and electro-optical systems. For example, the output from a laser may be directed along a path to a modulator crystal. It is essential in such systems that the axis of the modulator crystal be coincident with the optical axis of the laser. To obtain such coincidence, the modulator crystal axis must be aligned with the laser optical axis. Such alignment usually requires both lateral/translational adjustments and rotational adjustments.
Design criteria make it preferable, and sometimes essential in some environments, that the design of the adjusting and mounting of the modulator with respect to the laser be compact, light, simple, and rugged to withstand disturbances thereon.